Dangerous delusion
by kirsty2765
Summary: What if...? Read yourself.
1. Chapter 1

As every WTB fan, I have to handle the 'All-nighter'. Here is my version.

Reviews are welcome.

And many thanks to stayathomemum for proofreading again.

_Disclaimer: I'm not the owner of the characters of WTB, I own nothing, no copyright violence intended_

**Dangerous delusion**

Chapter 1

The morning after the night Tony spent out of the house with his study group, he awoke with a big thumping headache. It wasn`t the first time this night he woke up. He had snuck home at five a.m. in a desolate condition. Now it was almost 7.30 and he felt a cruel hangover in his head and body. Thank god, nobody had noticed that he had overslept. Almost immediately he jumped out of his bed and… regretted it. A horrible nausea overwhelmed him but he was able to swallow it down by taking a few deep breaths in- and then exhaling. During the hot discussions with the students they had consumed a lot of alcohol in the form of wine and beer. Too much alcohol for him, he didn't usually drink more than two or three glasses of anything.

He went into the empty kitchen to make breakfast and reminded himself that nobody was at home besides Angela. Oh god, Angela, his mind raced up to the last night. What had he done? He closed his eyes and terrible pictures snapped back into his mind. The study group had left the motel except for Kathleen. Kathleen and him, sitting at the bedside. He saw himself in the motel bed only in his boxers… Kathleen in the bathroom door only in slip and shirt….No, that can't be real, he thought, but no way, it was. He had slept with Kathleen last night. That was the horrible matter of fact. Little pieces of memories were coming back. How he jumped into his clothes and left the room while Kathleen was in the shower. And that now, when things between him and Angela were going so incredibly well. The last months and weeks were the best times together they ever had. Angela had helped him with his decision to become a teacher; he had coached her volleyball team and she had gifted, him a new jeep for his birthday. He felt terrible at the thought of Angela, her sweet smile, her beauty and the way she always made him feel better when something happened. The first thing that came to his mind was to pretend that nothing happened but he was not the kind of man who usually hopped from one bed to another. There was no way around it, he had to be honest with Angela.

He sat down on a chair burying his face with his hands. Angela entered the kitchen clothed in pink sweat pants and a white sweater.

"Good morning, Tony." She looked down at him and realized in a second that something was wrong. She had never seen him in such a downhearted mood. His demeanor was a complete mess.

"Good morning, Angela." He kept his hands away and made an abrupt move toward the sink, keeping his eyes down.

"Something wrong today?" Angela asked him carefully. She had heard him coming home in the early morning and a dark sense of foreboding crept through her mind.

"Angela, there is something I have to tell you and I don't want you to find it out any other way." He turned around to her, barely able to look her in the eye.

"You know, you can tell me everything", she told him, but she also had the feeling that she didn't really want to know what he has to tell her.

"First you have to know I'm sorry, I'm so sorry … I've done something terrible. I didn't ask for it, it happened anyway, I don't know how to explain… Angela, I'm so sorry for…. He almost cried.

"Tony, please calm yourself, what happened?" She felt an upcoming panic now.

"Angela… I slept with Kathleen last night." Now it was out. He breathed heavily; his whole body was overdrawn with cold sweat.

Angela swallowed. She couldn't say anything and turned her back to him. Her hands began to tremble and tears welled in her eyes and she desperately tried to force them back.

"Tony, why did you tell me… we… we are not married or engaged, you don't have to justify yourself to me…"

"But I feel like I have to. I know we don't have a relationship like that, but it feels like we do."

"I don't know what you feel and I don't know why you feel…. Angela felt a big lump in her chest. That was this thing she almost thought to know. She always knew that he had feelings for her as a friend, as the mother of Sam and maybe a little bit more but he never saw her like a woman who would be able to fulfill his life dreams in every respect. That's why he rejected her in Jamaica. "Maybe we can talk later about it but for now I can't…." Angela ran out of the kitchen drowning in tears trying to suppress her uncontrollable sobs.

"Angela, wait! Please let me explain…." He called after her but at the same time he knew that he had to give her some space. There was nothing more to do until she calmed herself. He couldn't push her. Tony, deep in thoughts, cleaned up the kitchen and left for the library to finish his studying.

Angela went to the bedroom, looking into in the mirror, only to find herself looking like hell. Stop this crying, she said to herself. She made it possible not to hyperventilate by cooling her face with lots of cold water. After a few minutes she decided to change her clothes and five minutes later she was on her way to the office. Work was the best distraction for her and it would let her forget the worst hour of her life.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Angela came home late and she knew she was hiding from Tony, but the physical pain that she felt had grown up more and more over the day. She had no idea how to face him this evening. The house was dark and Angela sighed in relief. She went upstairs noticing a small light behind Tony's bedroom door. Taking her shoes in one hand, she tiptoed to her room and not a moment too soon; she closed her door while Tony opened his.

"Angela… are you ok?" He whispered.

"Everything is fine." She answered him softly through the door. Liar, she told herself.

"It's late, I've got to sleep. I have an important meeting with a new client in the morning. Good night, Tony." They always said good night to each other no matter how their day went and whatever happened.

"I have to go to college very early tomorrow; I will make you breakfast before I leave. Good night, Angela." He closed his door and went to bed but there was no possibility of him actually being able to sleep. After hours of tossing and turning, he fell into a light slumber only minutes before the alarm clock ringed.

Angela hadn't slept a wink either and was already up when she heard his alarm across the hallway. She heard him shower and how he leaped several stairs at the same time. He was in rush. Of course, he would see Kathleen at college. After the front door banged, she stood up and went downstairs in an old pair of jeans and an old shirt. She had lied to him. There was no meeting and she only wanted to play hooky because she needed to clear up her mind. She entered the kitchen and to her greatest surprise she found the table covered with the best china and a crystal vase with a bouquet of pink roses. A small white card was fixed and she detached it from the beautiful rose. 'Please forgive me', it said. Angela swallowed, playing with the card in her hand and watching at his expressional letters. She sat down on a chair and took a crispy Croissant in her hand and spread it absentmindedly with butter.

Suddenly the doorbell rang. Who could it be at this early hour? Angela stood up and by opening the door, she found to her horror that Kathleen was in the doorway. She watched her in disbelief, pulled herself together and asked her:

"Kathleen, what are you doing here?"

"Good morning Angela, I'm just bringing some books that Tony had forgotten at the motel yesterday." Kathleen smiled. "He was in a bad mood when he left; I think he didn't feel very good."

"Oh, Tony has already left the house but I can take the books." Angela answered and took the books.

"Did he already leave for college? But we finished everything yesterday." Kathleen wondered.

Yes you have finished everything, Angela thought while her heart pounded wildly.

Kathleen looked at her more precisely now. Angela was looking tired and sick, she thought. What could be the matter with her? She remembered her as a beautiful woman but right now it seemed she had to deal with something that worried her. She had dark rings under her eyes and her face was pale.

"Angela, is something wrong? Sorry for disturbing you but I just wanted to know how Tony did after his alcohol crash last night." Kathleen looked directly at her seeking permission to continue. After all the things Tony had told her about Angela, she sounded like the kindest person on earth.

"Alcohol crash? What do you mean? He told me…" No, no way that she could repeat the things Tony had said, not to her, Kathleen, absolutely not.

"Well, Tony and the other students had some difficult arguments last night and one of them had brought some bottles of beer and wine and hard liquor and they drank so much, it was nasty." Kathleen shuddered at the memory of the guys. "Drunken men are so obnoxious. One of them mocked Tony about being a housekeeper and a student at his age. But Tony was so nice, he delivered a nice speech on you and told them how you supported him and that he owes you so much. As I was the only woman, I had to act like the mother of the company and supported Tony but the other guys were horrible to him and after yelling and screaming I didn't know what to do and I kicked them all out of the room."

And then she was alone with Tony, of course, and so she exploited the situation, Angela thought. Kathleen breathed out, not sure if she could speak openly to Angela. Without knowing why, she felt a dark mood in this house today, entirely different from the last time she was here. But Angela's sadness let Kathleen decide to go on.

"Angela, do you know how much you mean to him? He talked about you the whole time after the boys had left. He feels so much for you, I could see it in his eyes. He adores you! All this studying, and he does it for you, only for you. He loves you!"

"He loves me?" Angela cried out. "If what you say is true, then why the hell did he sleep with you?" Angela shouted angrily to Kathleen. She had totally forgotten that she wouldn't say anything to Kathleen. She trembled and the tears were falling down uncontrollably.

"Slept with me? What the hell gave you the idea!? Kathleen was flabbergasted. "I've never slept with Tony. Why should I do that? He is just a fellow student! Well, he is really nice and handsome, but I've got a boyfriend who I really love."

Is it that why Angela acted so oddly?" Kathleen thought. There was something strange going on here and she felt pity for Angela who was obviously a nervous wreck. Kathleen remembered her last boyfriend who had cheated on her and she also remembered the bad lonely feeling she had at that time.

"Angela, I'm 100% sure that he will never betray you, and certainly not with me! So please tell me why you think he did?"

Angela was agitated and confused. "He told me that." She answered quietly. Kathleen was stunned. She tried to recall that night and slowly a light dawned on her….

"Angela, after the other students left the room, Tony couldn't stop talking about you; he had a verbal diarrhea. I was… hm… a little bit tired of his intoxicated drivel, so I went to the bathroom and after coming back, he had fallen asleep. I don't know how he had managed to undress but he somehow did and he snored terribly. I called my boyfriend to pick me up from the motel but he wasn't in town and so I decided to sleep on the couch. Angela, the only possibility I can suggest is that he only _thought _he had slept with me because he saw me in my underwear the next morning. But he had already left the motel when I came back from the shower so I haven't talked to him so far."

Angela was taken aback by this conversation. She sighed in relief. Nothing had happened.

"You really say that there was nothing between you and Tony?" Angela said in relief trying to dry her tears.

"Nothing." Kathleen lightly stroked her arm.

"So you have a boyfriend?" Angela asked.

"Yes, for almost half a year now. His name is Jack and he is in advertising too. He is really sweet and he's helped me get over my last unpleasant relationship. My ex-boyfriend betrayed me with my best friend. Jack came over from Chicago and he is in search of a new job because we don't like to commute anymore. We are wasting so much time with that."

"Kathleen, I apologize for the things I said to, you, I'm sorry, I was wrong but I really thought that Tony…."

"Nothing to be sorry about, I can imagine how upset you are. But maybe you have to talk to Tony and give him a hint."

"A hint about what?" Angela wondered.

"That you feel the same for him as he feels for you." Kathleen smiled.

"Kathleen, thanks for telling me the truth. I'm really glad that you've told me about that night. And I'd like to meet your boyfriend Jack. My agency is doing very well and I need to boost my team. He should call me and we can fix an appointment if he is interested."

"Oh Angela, that would be nice. It would make us really happy. And maybe if things work out for you and Tony we can go out together, dancing or something, anytime. But now I have to go. Jack comes in an hour and I'm excited to tell him the news." Kathleen stared at Angela who looked a lot better now.

"Yes, that would be nice, bye Kathleen." Angela hesitated a moment and then hugged her lightly. "You're really a nice girl, I hope Jack deserves you."

"He does, bye Angela." Kathleen left the door wondering about this morning.

Angela leaned back to the front door and a big smile of relief came upon her face.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Tony came home late. It was almost 7pm. He had hung around at the library as long as he could, too anxious to face her. When he opened the door, to his surprise he found Angela sitting on the couch clasping her hands nervously. The lights were lightly dimmed and the soft sound of jazz music filled the room. He entered the living room and shut the door quietly. For a short moment he held the doorknob and then he took a deep breath. He turned around and took a few steps toward her. Their eyes locked and for a second neither of them could make a move. Tony broke the contact first and looked away.

"Angela, what is this… what does this all mean?"

"Tony, we have to talk." She looked at him seriously. He was barely able to concentrate on her, wondering how it was possible she looked so beautiful and stern at the same time. Probably she was going to tell him something bad he didn't want to hear. What if she is going to kick him out? He was hardly able to think about his life in another way.

"Please, sit down." She made an appealing move with her hand. Tony sat down beside her.

"Angela, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I can't believe what I've done and why I did it. I can' hardly remember that night and I…" He began to explain by driving nervously his hands through his hair.

"Tony, please stop it, there is something I have to tell you." She paused and tried to make eye contact with him but he looked down. "I had a visitor this morning. Kathleen came along to give you back some books you had forgotten. She is really a nice girl now that I know her a little better."

"She was here? Kathleen? And she is nice?" Tony couldn't imagine what that visit has done to Angela but to his astonishment she smiled. He was confused. Maybe he had misinterpreted her signs and she wasn't as hurt as he thought, but no, how could he misinterpret her tears? Tears don't lie. Angela saw the mixed feelings on his face, surprised that he apparently remembered nothing.

"Tony, what can you honestly remember?" She had to ask him.

"I remember everything…" Tony said first because he wouldn't let her know how deeply ashamed he was. "No, no, that's not true, I won't lie to you." He thought of the big black hole in his brain.

"I only remember how I argued with the students and after they had left the motel I talked to Kathleen about y… about this and that. At some point, she went to the bathroom and then… there is nothing, there is a total amnesia. I woke up, I went home and felt horrible."

"So Tony, you don't remember actually having sex with Kathleen?" Angela was astonished by her own diction and so was Tony. "I know, speaking to you like that is unusual for me but I want to talk fairly and squarely to you."

"So will I", he gasped. "No, I don't remember having sex with Kathleen." He looked down at the floor feeling embarrassed and guilty. Angela placed her hand gently on his cheek. He was startled by her gently touch. "Shall I tell you why you didn't remember anything?" Angela asked him tenderly in a low voice.

"You don't need to tell me. I allowed myself to be persuaded into drinking by a group of students who are half my age; a fifteen year old teenager would have known better."

"Please let me talk, Tony. The only reason why you don't remember is… there is nothing to remember." Angela said as her eyes went up to his, observing the skeptical disbelief on his face.

"I don't understand, nothing happened… you say that I didn't sleep with… is it really true? And you talked to Kathleen about it? Why, where is all this coming from?" Tony couldn't believe that this was the whole truth and he breathed a sigh of relief. He felt a stone falling from his heart. "Angela, how can I make it up to you? Why is it always you who rescues me from terrible situations? And you're the only woman in the world who is able to make me feel like I am the greatest guy in the world. Well, I didn't deserve it, I've acted like a stupid jerk, no, I _am _a stupid jerk." He jumped from the coach pacing back and forth.

"Tony, please, your running around makes me nervous. Sit down and don't be so hard to yourself; you're neither a jerk nor stupid. Ok, maybe you did something stupid by drinking too much but this can happen to everyone anytime. Please, let's just forget about it." Angela nodded her head.

"Angela, maybe this had to happen because we didn't know how to go on with each other. When I said in Jamaica that I wasn't ready for us, it was the truth but after coming home I wasn't sure if I said the right thing. It's just, I'm so afraid of losing you and our family but I want to go one step further… if you want it too. And I promise you I will never allow myself to get caught in a situation like that and by the way I deserve it if you changed your mind about us and if it is over…." He couldn't finish the sentence. The mere thought of losing her caused waves of pain through his chest.

"Tony, I don't want to pretend anything; the mere thought of you sleeping with Kathleen almost killed me and I was deeply hurt but two days of pain means nothing against seven wonderful years."

"Yes, we had wonderful seven years and the last two days had been miserable for me too. I never want to feel like this again. And I never want you to feel like this again. " He lightly touched her forearm and as she didn't pull it away, he took her hands in his.

"So you want to go further? Why?"

"Because I love you, Angela, I always have." Tony looked at her seeking the answer in her eyes. Finally it was out and it was much easier than he ever thought.

"I love you, too, Tony. Her eyes gave him the answer he had hoped for so long. He cupped her face in both of his hands pressing his lips to hers, at first gently and tenderly. Then the kiss intensified with more passion than he ever believed was possible.

"Does that mean that we can stop dating other people and exploring our options?" Tony asked her with a smile after he pulled back and tried desperately to get his heartbeat under control.

"My horizon is broadened enough." And she leaned in for another kiss.


End file.
